The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit tennis hall of fame and museum at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The organization honors the greatest players and contributors of the game and features a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis (or real tennis) facility.

History

The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is located in the Newport Casino, which was commissioned in 1880 by James Gordon Bennett, Jr. as an exclusive resort for the rich and wealthy, and was designed by Charles McKim along with Stanford White, who did the interiors. By the 1950s, the retreat was struggling financially and was in danger of being demolished for modern retail space. Tennis, however, would end up saving it.

The United States Lawn Tennis Association had held their first championships at the Newport Casino in 1881, an event that would continue through 1914, by which time tennis was firmly entrenched as the key attraction at the resort. So in 1954, there was history behind him when James Henry Van Alen stepped in and established the Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum in the Casino. The combination of prominent headliners at the tennis matches and the museum allowed the building to be saved. It stands today as one of the finest examples of Victorian Shingle Style architecture in the world. The buildings are generally well preserved, including the newly renovated Casino Theatre.

Alen intended the facility to be "a shrine to the ideals of the game", and was elected president of the hall in 1957. The International Tennis Hall of Fame is one of the largest and finest tennis museums in the world. It was officially sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association on its foundation in 1954, and recognized by the International Tennis Federation in 1986. The first Hall of Fame members were inducted in 1955; as of 2010, there are 218 inductees from 19 countries.

Collection

The museum houses a vast collection of artifacts and memorabilia – including videos, photographs, audio recordings, tennis equipment and apparel, trophies, and art – highlighting the history of tennis from its origins up through the modern era. The collection is displayed year-round in the museum's 13,000 square feet (1,200 m2) of exhibit space.

Tournaments

The Hall of Fame hosts several tournaments, including:

July 4–10, 2011: Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships

Part of the ATP World Tour, the tournament is one of 15 events and the only grass court event in North America. Top male players come to Newport directly from Wimbledon to compete for the Van Alen Cup and $442,500 in prize money at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Past competitors include Americans Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish, as well as two-time champion Fabrice Santoro of France.

July 9: Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

The Class of 2011 will take their place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 9. In January 2011 it was announced that Andre Agassi, former world No. 1, and career golden slam winner would be inducted into the hall of fame. People who have been nominated in the Master Player Category are Thelma Coyne Long, who dominated Australian tennis in the 1930s -1950s, and Christine Truman Janes, a British star of the 1950s and 1960s. Nominated in the Contributor Category are influential tennis promoter and administrator Mike Davies, and Fern Lee “Peachy” Kellmeyer, who has played a vital role in the growth of women’s tennis.